The Benevento/Russo Duo released several albums between 2003 and 2006 and toured around the nation, showcasing an explosive jazz-rock sound filled with rampant improvisation. They drew the attention of Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio and bassist Mike Gordon and were pegged to back the pair on tour. Benevento and Russo both were Phish fans in high school and relished the large audiences.

“It was easy and fun and the touring was really great. We were playing in front of like 20,000 people every night, so that was really awesome,” Benevento said. “I really like the fact that they can embrace stupidity and sort of be goofy, but they also were really good at communicating live.”

We simply couldn’t be more excited for UMBowl II after the success of last year’s inaugural event. The first of its kind, UMBowl is a uniquely interactive concert where the fans call the plays. UMBowl II will consist of four musical quarters, each with a different interactive theme. This year’s quarters will have many of the same elements as the original UMBowl with additional surprises thrown in.

We have considered many of your suggestions after last year’s event and made a few changes based on your feedback. First up, the venue is shifting to the Park West. You wanted more space, so you are getting more space. In order to maintain the intimacy, we are only going to sell 700 total tickets (including multiple VIP options) instead of the venue’s usual 1,000-person capacity. This will allow for improved sight lines and significantly more room to get down. Additionally, per your request, the venue move also allows us to amp up our production value and bring you a more robust light show.

We have also taken steps to ensure that purchasing tickets will be a smoother experience this year. The ham sandwich that was stuck in last year’s ticketing server has been removed. Tickets are $99.00 and available on a first come first serve basis, limit four (4) per person, starting on February 28th at 12:00 pm CT.

Stay tuned for frequent updates regarding the musical quarters, VIP packages, merchandise options (no cheap jerseys allowed), ticketing info and much, much more. Check out a recap of last year’s event and start building the hype.